Church Blog (Page 5)
September News
First Church Family: I pray that you are enjoying the end of summer. Though of course time moves on, this summer has seemed to move most quickly. Teachers and school staff members are already on the job, and local public school children are in class as of Monday, August 28. Our prayers are with them. For the first time, earlier this year, we made the decision to combine services across the summer at 10:00am. That of course did several things:…
Happening @ FUMC
First Church Family: Wow, what a week it’s been! I know it must seem that I begin much correspondence in such a way, but it is true. Last week, we shared God’s love with both children (45 of them) and youth and adult counselors through our Vacation Bible School program: “Stellar.” All involved marveled at God’s creation of the vast and wonderful universe! And all learned stories of Jesus: with Zacchaeus, with the people who welcomed the Master into Jerusalem on Palm…
VBS Sunday and Luncheon
First Church Family: What a week it has been! Our church has been filled with children singing, dancing, playing, enjoying snacks, and doing crafts. Our Ericka Murphy, Tara Blake, and Jon Beal, along with numerous volunteers and additional staff: Danny Clark, Kay Lanier, and Joseph Franklin have done an amazing job leading our 2023 Vacation Bible School! Forty-four children have attended and loved every minute of it. The theme for the week has been: “Whenever darkness comes, or challenges come, or…
Important UpDates
First Church Family: I pray that you are enjoying the summer sunshine after the rains of previous weeks as much as I am. Please note the following important updates: 1) Our food drive for Yokefellow has been wildly successful. Our initial goal was to collect and donate 1,100 pounds of rice, pinto beans, and peanut butter so that our ministry partner could feed the poor this summer when needs are greater. As of the end of last week, you had brought…
3 things…
First Church Family: Three things: 1.) Please continue to bring your food donations to the church for our ministry partner Yokefellow. Though Yokefellow has asked us to donate: white rice, dried pintos, and peanut butter, Executive Director Sharon Harmon has reminded me that their main ongoing food request from us is always white rice. Last Sunday we announced that through July 12 we had raised 1,734 pounds of food for our local impoverished population. 2.) Please remember that our annual Vacation Bible School begins on…
Volunteer Opportunities
First Church Family: I pray that you are enjoying the summer in these beautiful foothills. God’s bounty is rolling in from the farms and family gardens. The seeds planted this spring have turned into vegetables and fruit. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians, and turns the conversation into a promise of eternal life: What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow,you do not sow the body that is to be,but a…
Summer Worship Schedule
During the months of July and August, we will be combining our twoservices and will be meeting for one service at 10:00am. Each week wewill be alternating between the CLC and the Sanctuary.
Community Outreach
First Church Family: Please notice the offerings below, in relation to Yokefellow’s Drive-Thru Food Drive on Saturday, and also the request for volunteers on July 14 for the Blackberry Festival. I’m planning to be a part of both of those efforts and hope we have good First Methodist responses. Also, please know that we continue to be needed (especially on Saturday mornings) to volunteer at our Habitat House project (2614 Friendswood – off of 321A South). This Sunday…
Summer News
First Church Family: Summer is upon us! The Old Farmer’s Almanac guided both sets of my grandparents in many ways, including providing dates for planting their spring and summer gardens. Always would they make their first planting of the year on Good Friday (regardless of the exact date) and never would they set out vegetable plants on what they called: “rotten Saturday” (the day before Easter.) About the summer, the Almanac records: “The beginning of the season depends on whether…
A Transformed Day
First Church Family: I pray that you are well. I heard a devotion this morning about the fact that we all will have to endure suffering for one reason or another, because, like it or not, it is part of life. And that the antidote to allowing it to defeat us is to love one another. I have to say that the devotion transformed my day! If you weren’t able to be with us on Sunday for Confirmation, please…
A Prayer for Calm
First Church Family: The warmth of spring is finally here! Gardeners can put annual plants in the ground and not worry about the threat of frost (though that pronouncement probably will encourage the weather patterns to change – Ha!) May is second only to December in its busyness. There are concerts, exams, preschool and school endings, high school and college graduations, weddings…the list goes on and on. When there is something almost every night of the week, it’s hard not…
May News
First Church Family: Last year about this time, we began a conversation about the need for housing in our county. Our Pete Kidder, Caldwell Habitat for Humanity executive director, helped us come to understand that: · there are houses within a mile of our church where families with children live on dirt floors. · more than 7,000 houses in our county are heated by portable kerosene heaters and by opening the oven. · 7,764 families in our county spend almost one-third of their total income…